On 28 December 1989 a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Newcastle killing 13 people, hospitalising a further 160 and causing an estimated 4 billion dollars’ worth of damage to 35,000 homes, 147 schoo
Members of the NSW Fire Brigade tackle a blaze at a paper mill until the fire is brought under control. The smoking wreckage and the building’s shell is all that remains.
This dramatised sequence depicts developments in firefighting techniques through the ages. It begins in Alexandria in 250 BC(Before Christ) with Ctesibus who invented the first practical pump.
A convoy of six navy helicopters from the HMAS Melbourne aircraft carrier pass across the Darwin skyline. Workers continue to temporarily fix roofing as they watch the convoy fly by.
A public centre is set up as a temporary refuge for people displaced by the cyclone. Meals are provided along with medical services such as typhoid and tetanus vaccinations.
Workers are shown in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy fixing roofs and securing tarpaulin for protection. Fallen trees, collapsed buildings, debris and shells of houses can be seen.
